Safia the lion cub

An orphan lion cub needs a lot of care! Every day Safia wolfs down 1½kg of meat, either chicken or beef on the bone. Our vet has prescribed worming tablets, plus calcium supplements to strengthen her bones. We hope these will help heal her strangely deformed foot.

Then we need to create a proper, permanent home for Safia at our new Wildlife Rescue, Conservation and Education Centre. This little orphan deserves the best. Here, on the 77-hectare site, just 18 miles from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, we want to build her a large, natural habitat sanctuary.

The enclosure will have plenty of space, full of indigenous trees, beautiful acacia bushes, dense undergrowth to explore and sandy soil to roll in. Safia will get a good view of her surroundings as she looks down over undulating hills and forests. The enclosure will include comfortable night quarters, and we hope one day it may be possible for this lonesome cub to share her home with another lion.

Aida, the yellow baboon, Malawi

For 10 long years, Aida languished in her small cage at the zoo. Separated from her own kind, she was desperate for company. The priest who kept her in was well-known for taking in orphaned animals, but had few resources.

Then earlier this year Aida was rescued by our friends at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre. This wonderful sanctuary supported by Born Free gives a home to many animals. At last Aida was given a decent diet and more importantly, the company she craved. She was introduced to Chimpy, another young yellow baboon. Imagine her joy!

Aida, Chimpy and the other monkeys at the Centre will need many more days, weeks and months of intensive, skilled treatment. Please help us provide this care. Please help us give Aida the safe haven she needs, until one day, maybe, she could be returned to the wild where she belongs.

: Lee carefully oversees Aida's rescue and medical check...

: ...but she and the Centre's other orphans, like these vervet monkeys, need loving longterm care

Orphan Seal Pups, Ireland

For more than 22 years, seal expert Brendan Price and his colleagues have worked with tireless dedication to save the lives of literally hundreds of seals. No seal is turned away from the Irish Seal Sanctuary at Garristown in County Dublin. But winter is by far their busiest and most challenging time.

Grey seal pups are born between October and December, each female giving birth to a single, white-coated pup. The pups are suckled on land, but are at great risk and may become separated from their mothers in bad weather. Defenceless and prone to infections, many are injured and without regular food die within four days.

The Sanctuary have their work cut out tending to wounds and infections, and most importantly, getting food inside the pups. A special milk formula is required. But the Sanctuary is in serious financial difficulties and is literally surviving day by day. They lost one of their two ambulances in floods, caused by the atrocious weather.

Help Born Free and Brendan give the pups sanctuary after the storm.